Author's Note

Hey there Sailors, Iowa here. If you are new here this story was originally intended to be a one off short story but with how open ended I left it, I decided to make this into full length story. Don't expect many consistent updates but I will try to make progress her as fast as possible. "I'll see you on the Naval Battlefield."

Story: Death from above

STORY: Death from above

On a cool Halloween night of October 31st, the undead have risen from their graves and have wreaked havoc across the globe. Chaos and anarchy plagued the minds of the living who are locked in an endless struggle to survive the onslaught of the growing hordes. One by one, major city centers fell to the undead. First responders and local law enforcement were overwhelmed and consumed by their numbers while better equipped military units struggle to contain the infected.

High above the ruined city of New York, a lone United States Air Force four engine aircraft designated as Hotel 1-3 callsign “Hell’s Janitor”, is en-route to assist an evacuation operation at Brooklyn. This fixed wing Ground-attack and close air support gunship is an AC-130U “spooky” II variant of the C-130 Hercules, carrying one General Dynamics 25 mm GAU-12/U Equalizer 5-barreled Gatling cannon, one 40 mm L/60 Bofors cannon, and one 105 mm M102 howitzer.

In the cockpit, the Gunship's Pilot, Captain Jonas Smith and Co-Pilot, 1st Lieutenant, Amanda Davis navigate the aircraft over New York airspace, the sounds of war thundered beneath their feet with the overlapping shrieks of the undead filling the night sky with unspeakable horror.

"Coming up on our A.O. Eastwood." Jonas notifies the Fire Control Officer.

"Copy that, Area of Operation in sight." The gunship's FCO Technical Sergeant, Hillary 'Eastwood' East Replied.

"New York Command, this is Hotel 1-3, callsign Hell's Janitor, requesting permission to enter New York A.O, over?" Amanda hailed.

"New York Command to Hotel 1-3, permission granted. Proceed towards South-East Manhattan to provide close air support and assistance in evacuation of civilians crossing the bridges, over?"

"Received and understood, Command. Hell's Janitor going on station, out."

"Get ready boys, it's time to take out the trash from Hell." Hillary notified the Gunners who replied in quick succession.

"25mm revved and ready to go!"

"Bofors locked and loaded."

"Howitzer ready to go!"

"All stations ready to engage, Ma'am." The Loadmaster relays his words to the pilots.

"Hold on back there guys, were making the turn now." Jonas warns the crew as the AC-130 pulls into the famed left hand pylon-turn, bearing it's weapons down on Brooklyn. "Orbit established, all weapon systems cleared to engage."

"Hotel 1-3, this is Brooklyn Station. Were glad to see yous up there! We got quite the shooting gallery to the south of our position and we can definitely need your help on this one."

"Copy that Brooklyn Station, designate targets with smoke or laser and we'll light em up."

"Affirmative, marking first site. Be advised, all civilians have cleared out and the use of collateral damage is authorised. Out!"

In the plane's Sensor Suite, the TV Operator spots purple smoke rising from Foley Square surrounded by a large horde of the undead. "Damn that's a lot of bone-heads, gonna need to put a 105 right into the middle of the square."

"Roger that, shot out!"

The plane jolts from the recoil from the 105's discharge, sending it's high velocity shell dead smack into the crowded square.

"Counting fifty plus kills, good shot."

"Reloading!"

"Got another big group of twenty plus tangoes coming in West from City Hall Park."

"Confirmed, engaging with the forty."

The Operator zooms in on the Park with the the plane's two Image-Intensified Television (I2TV) cameras, identifying the slow moving corpses with the plane's Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-39 Gunship Multispectral Sensor System. With the squeeze of the trigger, the 40mm empties the first set of ten rounds onto the undead, reducing a third of the small horde to a gory puddle.

"Heads up, we got runners approaching a friendly blockade from Chambers street."

"Wilco, engaging with the GAU."

The 25mm spins up and shatters the sky with the sounds of the rotary cannon. Sending several hundred rounds at the flesh hungry monsters, turning them and several scattered vehicles into Swiss cheese.

"Brooklyn Station, this is Hell's Janitor. How are you guys holding up?"

"The last of the evacuation convoy's through but it looks like we just kicked the hornet's nest. We're closing up shop and retreating back across the Brooklyn Bridge. Many thanks for the support, Hell's Janitor."

"Anytime, first shout is on us if we see you guys down in Florida. Good luck down there, We'll maintain overwatch while you guys bug out."

"Roger that, Brooklyn Station out!"

As the National Guard forces below start evacuating, the gunship continued it's reign of terror on the undead. They also claimed their first zombie giant.

"To all forces in the New York Air National Guard be advised, Evacuation complete. All forces are advised to vacate the area immediately. Friendly bombers are inbound to fire-bomb the area, eta. Five minutes."

"Looks like our work here is done folks, let's go home." Jonas and Amanda pull the plane out of the turn and aims the nose back towards home base.

As the AC-130 makes it's way home, in an alternate universe, another world is facing the same problem.

Ponyville, Equestria
Same time frame as New York

In a far distant land within an different dimension tonight was supposed to be yet another night of festivities for a race of humanoid equines, a night were many Equestrians would dress up in their spooky costumes and spend the night out enjoying the festivities of Nightmare Night. Young fillies and colts running door to door in their bid collect as much candy and other festive treats as they could fit in their bags while the more mature ponies would play spooky pranks on their friends and relatives. But tonight would be different, one where true horror is brought to life and the chaos that follows will bring the harmonious nation of Equestria to its merciful knees. Through some unknown sinister act, a pony of great power and malicious intent has harnessed a forbidden practice of dark magic to raise the undead and unleash them against his or her fellow ponies. At first nopony took notice of the walking corpses that flooded the streets aimlessly looking for survivors to devour. Thinking it was all part of an organised act some curiously got close and without warning were attacked. It wouldn't take long until the violence and anarchy had spread allover the country with most country towns already overwhelmed by the growing horde and the larger city centers were reduced to an endless maze of death and famine. Whoever was responsible for this genocidal act against Ponykind will face the wrath of the Princesses should Celestia and Luna survive long enough to find this particular Equestrian and bring swift justice to the fallen.

Trapped in the town square of one of the impacted towns called Ponyville the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony and their siblings are surrounded by a large horde. Trapped within a small bubble like shield casted by the young princess Twilight Sparkle was all that stands between them and certain death. The infected that had physical contact with Twilight's shield bashed their bloody hands or their whole bodies against it while others would claw at it until their finger nails broke off or shove their ripped and torn faces in a futile attempt to bite at the uninfected inside. Above the infestation some of the winged Pegasai that were unlucky to be infected dove aimlessly into the young Alicorn's barrier with a bone crushing and gut splattering crash that sent it's broken corpse into the horde to be consumed by their fellow walking corpses. Twilight was showing signs of strain in her struggle to hold off the endless horde from swarming them and her magic is dangerously nearing depletion. An apple farmer and close friend to the princess conformed her.

"How are ya holding sugar cube?" The apple farmer named Applejack asked.

"I'm okay, A.J. I... I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." The young princess replied, almost drained of her magic. The undead who were constantly banging their bloodied heads and hands on the dome wasn't helping her concentrate.

"Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop!" A timid Pegasus named Fluttershy reportingly cried out covering her face from the gruesome sight of the lifeless faces groaning and screeching for their blood.

"Where the buck is the Guard and where did Discord run off to?!" Rainbow shouted.

"Did somebody call me?" The draconequus in question spoke out of thin air. "Whatever happened to our little game of hide and seek that we were playing an hour ago?"

"In cased you haven't already noticed, Darling. But we were stuck in the middle of a zombies outbreak, Discord!" A unicorn fashionista named Rarity berated at Discord.

The Draconequus made his reveal out of thin air and glanced all around him, finally taking in the mass of the undead surrounding his friends. "Well why didn't say so! All you had to do was ask and I have would helped you return them to their slumber?"

"It's already too late for that, Discord." Twilight started. "The only way we are getting out of this is to purge the horde."

"Twilight! Are you suggesting we should kill them!?" Rarity gasped.

"We have no choice, everypony that we called friend's are now just a hollow shell of themselves and the only way to stop them is to put them out of their misery. I don't want to blood of the innocent falling onto your hands, let me and Discord handle this."

"You want me to help you commit a sinful act against our former friends? I thought I am only allowed to use my magic for good? I even Pinkie Promised!" Discord spoke with mild concern.

"Discord, as of now I had spent most of my magic trying to protect my freinds and family from these monsters that I once called my friends! Rarity doesn't have the experience of performing spells on the magnitude that we will be using. I'm not in the mood for games, Discord! I want you to boost me with your chaos magic so I can open a path to get everypony to safety!" Twilight gritted her teeth as her barrier begins to flicker signalling the complete drainage of her magic is imminent.

"Alright, alright I'll help you save the day as usual. No need to get all bossy about it." Discord clicked his fingers with a staff pops out of thin air.

As Discord begins channeling his magic, Twilight preps for a shockwave spells that should disperse the infected from Ponyville, she'll need Discord to boost her energy to make this work. Her barrier gives way and the horde rushed at the exposed group. Everyone began screaming awaiting their imminent death.

"Now Discord, Boost me!!" Twilight releases her last ounces of magic into her hands.

"Return to your graves from which you slumber lost souls of the damned!" Discord chanted, aiming his staff at Twilight and fires a boost spell which strikes Twilight in the back.

Renewed of energy, Twilight didn't waste a second as her hands clapped together, releasing her shockwave spell as it engulfed Ponyville in a lavender like supernova before the infected could swarm the last group of survivors.

A few seconds would pass by as the blinding light vanished and Twilight's knees buckled as she collapses from magic exhaustion.

"Twilight!" Rainbow rushes to help as Discord Magicked his staff back into his pocket dimension to render assistance to Twilight as well.

"Is it over?" Applebloom asked, her young innocent voice trembled with fear.

Looking around, they were still surrounded by a sizable number of the undead that weren't destroyed by Twilight's shockwave spell.

"Eenope." was all that the big brother of Applejack and Applebloom named Big Mac said.

The infected began to regain their sight and once again started closing in on the group. Without Twilight to protect them, the group could only accept defeat and readied themselves for a desperate fight for survival. Little did they know, five thousand feet above their heads was a large flying death machine that had been accidentally summoned into their world.

"What the hell was that blinding light! Did we just set off a nuke!?" Amanda asked.

"I don't know... That definitely wasn't a nuke, but where the hell are we? I don't recognise the landscape below us." Jonas replied looking out of the various cockpit windows observing the passing ground with his night vision goggles. "John, do you still have a fix on our position?"

"Can't tell the GPS is down, I can't get a signal." John the flight's Navigation Officer replied.

"Fire Control, status report?" Amanda asked Hillary.

"All systems normal back here. Is everything alright up there?" Hillary replied.

"Yeah, were good here. James, can you get a visual on the ground? Do you see anything familiar down there?" John asked the flight's TV Operator

"Scanning... I see a settlement below us, but I don't recognise the architecture and it is full of infected."

"Any survivors that you can see?" Hillary asked.

"Uh, I see a group in the the town square and looks like they're in serious trouble."

"How are we doing for fuel, Jonas?" John asked Jonas.

"Were about thirty mikes till bingo. Comms are down as well, I'm getting no reception on all frequencies to raise command but that doesn't mean were gonna let those civies die. What's our ammo count on all weapons, Hillary?"

"Still got plenty back her to carve a canal through Somalia!"

"Rodger that, load them up we're going for another round! danger close on the civvies and take it easy on the collateral damage! Repeat, danger close on those Civvies!" Jonas informs the gunners as the plane pulls into another left hand pylon-turn.

"One-O-Five ready!"

"Weapons free, Hillary. Clear to engage the undead."

"Shot out!" The 105 rings out, sending it's payload into the thick of the horde.

"Holy horse apples, what was that!" Rainbow jumped from the sudden massive explosion that rang out a couple of buildings away with scorched limbs and building debris raining down around the group much to Rarity's horror. Several more explosions and a spray of whizzing sounds surround the group.

"Look up there!" Scootaloo points to the sky. Looking up, the group spot a massive bird of sorts moving amongst the stars, several flashes can be seen before more explosions rang out. Red streaks could be seen striking the infected, riddling them with holes and severed limbs

"Dear Faust, what kind of bird could be capable of doing all this or even a dragon for that matter?" A now disturbed Rarity spoke in utter terror.

"I don't think that's a bird or a dragon, Rares." Rainbow Replied.

"Definitely not a bird, that thing appears to be some sort of aircraft with a bunch of ranged weapons on its left side?" Discord agreed who now had night vision binoculars in his hands.

"Look it's the guards." Sweetie Belle spots several Chariots loaded with guards and a large carriage approaching the town.

"Finally, we're saved!" Rainbow cheered in renewed joy.

"Hey Hillary, are you seeing this?" James asked Hillary who was watching the approaching chariots.

"What the fuck... Okay, there some serious FUBAR going on here."

"Agreed, gunners check your fire to the North. It looks like those 'chariots' are for the civies."

Hillary and James observes the chariots touching down on the ground and a few squad of the Equestrian Royal Guards disembarked to secure the area around the group.

"Gunners, cease fire cease fire! civilians have been secured." Hillary ordered, the gunship goes silent on her command.

"So, where do we go from here." John asks Jonas.

"I don't know, I don't even know where 'here' is to begin with." Jonas replied unsure.

"We should follow them and hopefully find a place to get our boots on the ground?" Amanda suggested.

"I doubt these guys would have an air field that can support an AC-130. Plus, we don't know who these guys are? let alone if they will be friendly to us." Jonas deadpanned.

"It's your call, cap. I just want all of us to be on the same page over the fact that we are not in new jersey anymore." Amanda spoke defensively.

"Jonas, Amanda, those chariots are taking off. What are we doing?" James informs the pilots.

Jonas sighs. "Alright, I guess were following them."

Jonas and Amanda straightens out the plane and maintains a cautious distance from the flight of chariots as they made their way for the Equestrian Capital of Canterlot. With a little luck, the crew of the Hell's Janitor can only pray for a place to safely land their plane and make contact with the natives, but most importantly a way to get home.